Children Get Older
by BurnThoseEyesBlue
Summary: Kanan is finally forced to acknowledge that Ezra's grown up.


**Another fic from another prompt on the swrrequests blog. Seriously, I love that thing.**

 **PROMPT : Years in the future, Kanan touches his Padawan's face and is surprised to find a beard.**

 **I've been told I get kinda angsty in my fics, so I tried to keep this one a lot fluffier. You'll see what I mean. ;)**

 **I made it pretty obvious in the fic, but this is set roughly 4 years in the future. Ezra is 21 here, and TESB has already happened.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

"Anyway, if we lead in an air strike here," Ezra pointed a finger across the holomap, and glanced up at Sato, "then we could probably sneak in another squadron onto the planet to drop off supplies."

The crew was in an board meeting. Sato needed them to drop off aid under an imperial blockade, and he'd put Ezra in charge. Ever since the battle on Hoth, the Empire's focus had been on catching Skywalker, and less on their crew, making them a good ploy for the Rebellion to use.

Kanan was standing on Ezra's left, arms crossed and head tilted slightly to the side as if he was trying to picture the map. Hera was on Kanan's other side, standing next to Sabine and discussing flight plans. Zeb was on Ezra's right, and Sato across from them.

"It's so simple the Empire won't expect it," Sato said, nodding approvingly. "I think it has potential for success. Captain Syndulla?"

Hera stopped talking for a minute and studied the map, eyes squinted. "Sure, I can do that." She smiled at Ezra, then went back to drawing up drop off strategies with Sabine.

Ezra turned to Kanan, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the exchange. "Kanan?" Ezra tried, looking at his master a little anxiously. "What do you think?"

Kanan stroked his beard and turned his face towards Ezra. "It's a solid plan. It's simple, easy, and efficient. I think we may actually be able to pull it off with you leading it, kid."

"Kanan!" Ezra whined. "Don't call me that! I'm twenty-one; I'm not a kid anymore!" With one curious look from Sato, Ezra bit the inside of his cheek and looked down.

"Well, when you say it like that, you could've fooled me." Kanan teased, reaching out to shove Ezra's face away lightly. However, Ezra wasn't exactly as short as he used to be, and Kanan misjudged the distance. Instead, he reached out and touched the side of Ezra's cheek and the short, cropped beard he'd been working on growing in the last few months, all instead of the top of his head. Kanan froze, fingers grazing Ezra's cheek.

"Uh," Ezra said. Hera, Sabine, Sato and Zeb all looked their way. "Kanan?"

"Is that... a beard?!" Kanan asked, incredulous.

"Yeah," Ezra said. "I've been growing it out for a few months now." Ezra shifted his weight around and snuck another look at Sato, who just looked confused more than anything. Kanan was silent, and Ezra turned back to watch his face carefully for a reaction.

Kanan couldn't believe it. Honestly, when he pictured Ezra, he still thought of the floppy-haired fifteen year old that he once knew. Not this twenty one year old Rebel leader with a _beard_. He felt his heart twinge with unexpected pain.

Kanan snapped back to the present when Commander Sato cleared his throat awkwardly. He realized that his hand was still on Ezra's cheek, and he slowly lowered it, clearing his own throat awkwardly. For once he was glad that his mask covered his cheeks, because he could feel them heating up.

"I, erm, think that you can take it from here." He awkwardly reached out and patted Ezra on the shoulder (at the right height this time), and pushed his way past. "Commander," he said, hoping he was nodding in the right direction. He could feel Hera reach out to touch his shoulder, and he shrugged her off.

When the door slid shut after him, the rest of the crew turned and stared at Ezra. He looked back at them, wide-eyed.

"What did I say?" Ezra asked.

 _Jedi_ , Sato thought to himself, confused, doing his best to refrain from shaking his head. Kanan Jarrus was a valuable asset to the Rebellion, and so was Ezra Bridger, but still... Jedi were seriously weird.

* * *

Kanan sat in his room on his meditation mat, legs crossed and hands on his knees. His mask lay on the ground beside him, and his eyes were closed. Not that he really needed too or anything.

The thing with Ezra's beard was still bugging him, and he wasn't quite sure why. I mean, he _knew_ that Ezra had grown up; it had been five years since he'd last physically seen him, and the boy was still in puberty then. But learning just how much he'd actually grown up just reminded him of how much he truly missed in the past few years. He hadn't wanted to acknowledge the fact, now or ever.

He heard a knock on his door. "Come in," he said. He wasn't very surprised when Ezra was the one who slipped in and sat down in front of him.

Kanan sniffed the air and instantly recoiled. "Why do you smell... burnt?"

Ezra barked a short laugh. "Trust me, you reeeally don't want to know."

"I take it the mission went well?"

"..."

"Ah, so that's why you're burnt."

"Don't tell me you never walked away from a mission like this!"

"Oh, I did, but at least I had the decency to clean up before invading other people's homes."

"Are you just going to rip the way I smell? Because if I wanted to hear that, I would've just gone back to Hera."

"Hey, you were the one who came into _my_ room!"

Ezra snorted, and Kanan leaned back, an easy grin on his face. He'd missed their banter. The room grew quiet. Kanan could hear Ezra shifting around uncomfortably, working up the nerve to say whatever he came in there to say.

Kanan, on the other hand, wasn't much one for waiting.

"You've gone and grown up on me, kid," he said quietly. "And I had no idea."

Ezra was silent for only a moment. "I'm sorry?" he said sheepishly, the telltale rustle of fabric signaling that he just shrugged. Kanan supposed some things never changed.

Kanan jumped a little when Ezra suddenly reached out and grabbed his hands.

"Here," Ezra said, bringing them up to his face. Kanan made a face when he felt his beard again.

"Don't you know how to shave?" Kanan asked, wrinkling up his nose.

Ezra made an noise to show how affronted he was. "Of course I do! You can't say anything; you have a beard, too."

"Only because I can't see to shave it off," Kanan reminded him.

Ezra sniffed and stuck his nose in the air. "I think it makes me look cool."

"I'm sure it does, kid," Kanan said, gently feeling down the line of hair down his cheek. Ezra sat patiently, for once in his life. He made an annoyed noise when Kanan squeezed his mouth to look like a fish.

"Hey!" Ezra said, sounding squished and muffled. Kanan snickered.

All of a sudden, the door slid open, and both Kanan and Ezra whipped around. Kanan was still squeezing Ezra's mouth, and he could feel Ezra's jaw drop.

"Thith ithn't what it lookth like," Ezra said. Kanan snatched his hand back like he was burned.

"I don't even want to know," Hera's familiar voice said, the familiar swish of her lekku meaning she was shaking her head. "Ezra, Commander Sato wants a report of the mission."

Ezra groaned. "Can't you do it?" Kanan assumed Hera raised an eyebrow at him, because Ezra pushed himself off the ground, mumbling under his breath. Kanan heard his footsteps walking out and around the corner.

"And then take a shower!" Hera called out. "You still smell like smoke!" She received an unintelligible mumble in reply. Kanan stood up next and walked over to stand next to Hera.

"It's nice to know some things never change," Kanan said. She hummed in agreement, and he could practically picture Hera's fond grin as she watched Ezra walk off.

"You know," she said, sounding far too casual to have just thought of this out of the blue. "Ezra's beard looks an awful lot like yours."

Kanan felt a burst of unexpected warmth erupt in his chest at her words, and he never felt so proud or lucky to have Ezra before that moment.

"We did good," he said. Hera rested her hand against his chest, and vehemently agreed.

* * *

 **Proud Space-Parents give me life.**

 **The song title comes from "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac. That song is sad as crap, so listen to it and suffer with me :)**

 **R &R.**


End file.
